Thousands of men walk holding hands in Amsterdam

Thousands of men walk holding hands in Amsterdam

On Wednesday, the streets of Amsterdam were flooded with men holding hands. And, not all of them were couples. From politicians, doctors, footballers to common people, those who could not walk the streets put up pictures of them holding hands with other men. This was an action of solidarity for a gay couple who was beaten up over the weekend.

The said attack that took place in the eastern city of Arnhem in the wee hours of Sunday. It shook the peaceful Dutch people as theirs was the first country to legalize same-sex marriage in 2001. Like many other countries around the world, The Netherlands is undergoing a period where tolerance is low.

According to police reports, the two men were first verbally abused when they were walking holding hands over a bridge. This was followed by a physical confrontation that left the couple was badly injured. One even had his front teeth smashed.

The solidarity walk was triggered by a tweet made by journalist Barbara Barend. “Can this whole week all men (straight and gay) please just walk hand in hand …” she tweeted on Sunday night.

It gave rise to the popular hashtag #allmanhandinhand. In fact, the movement grew to other countries. And, it has only been growing in the past couple of days.